You'll Be Dreaming About This Private Lagoon Sanctuary in Bohol for Days

(SPOT.ph) Having a dinner meal with a stunning pool view as your background doesn’t seem out of the ordinary, especially if you’re staying at a resort. But when you’re doing it while seated on the edge and your feet submerged in its shallow waters, then that can be an experience for the books.

IMAGE Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

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That is what’s unique about The Food Hall, an all-day dining area at the lower lobby of BE Grand Resort Bohol located in the quieter part of Panglao Island. Aside from the wet dining area, the restaurant has an air-conditioned section for those hot days, and al-fresco area where you can get a good view of the greenery surrounding the pool as you breathe in the fresh sea breeze.

The establishment recently launched their new menu that offers a good mix of Asian specialties and Western dishes. “The dishes that we offer here are dynamic and continuously evolving to cater to what our guests are looking for,” says Executive Chef Mike Mandigma. Many of the produce and herbs that he cooks with are fresh and organic since these come from the resort’s farms.

Bohol Seafood Bouillabaisse

This modern gastropub offers inventive Filipino dishes like the Bohol Seafood Bouillabaisse (P595) that looks similar to the ever-familiar kare-kare. But instead of tripe and oxtail, you’ll get squid, shrimp, and crab, which are all cooked in a rich peanut-butter sauce and served with a medley of fresh vegetables and homemade bagoong or shrimp paste on the side. It’s so tasty that you won’t mind using your hands to crack the crab open and get to its glorious meat.

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Chicken Binakol

Another dish to try is the Chicken Binakol (P425), a simple recipe of ginger-sautéed chicken stewed in fresh coconut water, coconut meat, lemongrass, papaya, and native chili leaves. It’s also a comforting soup beautifully presented in a branded coconut shell.

Some of the must-try appetizers are the King Prawn with Chili-Mango Salsa (P385), which highlights the local prawns, and the Ngohiong Roll (P325), which features pork marinated in five-spice powder and wrapped with bean curd sheets that are deep-fried and served with house-made ngohiong sauce. This Asian appetizer may remind you of the kikiam dish you’ll find in traditional Chinese restaurants, only this version is meatier.

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The BE Grand Halo-Halo (P425) is good for sharing and just the thing you'll need on a hot day

Whether you plan to have a breakfast buffet, an a la carte meal, or an afternoon snack, The Food Hall is open for both stay-in guests and those who simply want to experience dining there.

IMAGE Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

The resort is one of the largest ones in the island with a five-storey main pavilion that has 189 guestrooms and 12 suites with an ocean view, not to mention the 19 luxurious villas with its own private lagoons.

IMAGE Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

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IMAGE Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

Those who want to go all out should opt for the villas where you can try relaxing in your own lounging area by a lagoon. It’s like living in a hidden paradise—even for just a day or two. The villas are only a few steps away from the waterfront where you can get more R&R in one of its beach pods that face the turquoise sea.

IMAGE Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

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There are other interesting places in the resort such as the dive pool with portholes, game room, karaoke room, spa, a lobby with furniture by Cebuano designer KennethCobonpue, marine sanctuary area, and five different dining spots. It’s easy to forget time and get lost in the resort once you get a taste of beach bliss in this secluded part of the island.

BE Grand Resort Bohol is at Barangay Danao Panglao Island, Bohol. For inquiries and reservations, contact (038) 412-9000 or (038) 412-9088, e-mail bohol@beresorts.com, or log on to BE Grand Resort Bohol’s website.